The Winner Takes the Prize
by Skye Fitz-Simmons
Summary: A new Asgardian descends on Earth. Is he friend or foe? Depends on whom you're talking to. To Jemma, he is friend and strives to be more. To Fitz, he's public enemy number one. Set in Season one after the visit from Lorelei and Sif but before the rise of Hydra. FitzSimmons one-shot. T for language.


Premise: A new Asgardian descends on Earth. Is he friend or foe? Depends on whom you're talking to. To Jemma, he is friend and strives to be more. To Fitz, he's public enemy number one. Set in Season one after the visit from Lorelei and Sif but before the rise of Hydra. FitzSimmons one-shot. T for language.

The readings were consistent with the ones from Thor and Sif. The team had an Asgardian on their hands. And, if it was anything like that last time, they were in for a rough couple of days. Fitz-Simmons worked diligently, trying to improve the Night-Night gun while May, Sky, and Ward readied for combat. Simmons was probably the most excited though, by far. The Asgardians fascinated her! The history of their visits to Earth. Their inherent ability to heal themselves. Their Shakespearian speak. The thought of it sent chills up her spine. She could not wait to see what awaited them.

"I hope he's friendly. Or her. It'll be so much easier to get blood and tissue samples from him if he's friendly. Or her if she's friendly. Can you imagine, Fitz? This will be the fourth Asgardian we've ever encountered!" she rambled excitedly.

Fitz scoffed and shook his head, a small smile on his face. God, was she cute when she was like this.

"We don't even know if it's a new one yet, Simmons. It could easily be Lorelei escaped from jail again or Lady Sif popping in for a visit or-"

Simmons gasped and looked at Fitz excitedly.

"Or Thor!" she practically squealed.

Fitz frowned. Okay, now the enthusiasm was getting annoying. That's all he needed was Simmons fawning over a Norse God.

"Yeah, well, it could also be Loki. And then we'd really be in a stew, wouldn't we." he muttered as he jammed a cartridge into the new Night-Night pistol.

Jemma pursed her lips in thought.

"You know, I always felt that Loki is misunderstood. I mean, I'm only Level 7 so, I don't know all the details but, from what I've heard, he seems a bit justified. I mean, imagine you lived your whole life thinking you were Asgardian and then come to find out you're actually the son of their most hated enemy? I mean, I don't condone what he's done by any means, but I'd be rather upset myself if something like that happened to me. Maybe if someone reached out to him and-"

"Loki cannot be reached, Simmons."

Jemma turned to see Agent Coulson looking at her with a grim face.

She bit her lip sheepishly. "Sorry, sir. I know how you feel about him.," she said apologetically.

He gave her a small, reassuring smile. "It's alright, Simmons. It's understandable that you're excited. You're a very curious girl. But I want you to be very cautious out there. You know what happened to the curious cat." he replied, in a sort of Fatherly tone.

Simmons nodded. "Yes, sir. I promise I'll be careful."

After a few more minutes, the team was on the rode and headed for the spot that had shown up on the radar. Before she knew it, Jemma was out of the truck and unloading gear with Fitz while the others moved closer on foot. The site was in the middle of a cornfield in Ohio. That explained crop circles! Jemma was helping Fitz prepare the drones when she heard Ward calling for her. Fast as she could, she grabbed a med-kit made her way through the maze of tall corn to the clearing made by the bifrost. There in the center lay a young man that looked no older than herself. She knelt down beside him and touched her fingers to his neck.

"He's alive." she said after a few seconds.

She rummaged in her bad and pulled out a tiny flashlight. She held open one of his gorgeous green eyes and shined the light. As she did so, the man took a deep breath and started to stir.

"Simmons, get back. We don't know if he's hostile." Ward cautioned.

But Jemma was fixated on the man. Her curious mind swam with thousands of questions. The Asgardian opened his eyes slowly. Simmons smiled down at him. After a moment, he smiled back.

"What world have I come to which harbors such beautiful creatures?" he asked in a sweet, silky voice.

Jemma blushed excessively.

"E-Earth." she stammered, "B-but I'm given to understand you call it Midgard."

The man nodded and reached up to run his fingers through Simmons' hair, causing her blush to deepen.

"Had I known Midgard to hold such a treasure, I would have come verily and decades earlier. Pray, fair Midgardian, tell me thy name that I might taste it sweet upon my lips. For surely such a glorious figure holds possession of a glorious name."

Simmons was beyond blushing now. She feared she might faint!

"J-Jemma." she barely managed.

"Jemma." the man purred, closing his eyes as if he were savoring the flavor.

He opened his eyes and gently caressed her cheek. Without a moment to process anything, he kissed her. Soft and sweet and oh, so gentle. Jemma's head swam and the threat of swooning became ever more real.

"Well, clearly this guy is Simmons' friend." Skye said with a snort.

Fitz watched the scene unfold from the edge of the clearing. He felt his blood boil at the sight of Jemma and the Asgardian. Regardless of what the rest of the team thought, Fitz knew this guy was trouble.

**~*#*~**

The man's name was Forseti. He had come to Earth from another realm but he was originally Asgardian. He served as one of Odin's ambassadors, checking in on all of the nine realms and making sure alliances and treaties were being kept.

"To tell true, I was not meant to visit Midgard originally but I received word from the All-Father that my course would be altered. Something must have happened, for there was an uneasy stir in the energy that conjured me here and I was rendered immobile upon my arrival." Forseti explained to Agent Ward.

He smiled over at Jemma who was now busy scanning the site with the drones alongside Fitz.

"I thought her to be Freya and that I had passed to Folkvandr to sit in her hall with my fallen comrades. I know not if I am more pleased now that I see it is not so. She rivals Freya, truly."

"Okay, anybody understand what lover-boy just said?" Skye questioned.

"He thought Simmons was God." May said plainly.

Skye's jaw dropped and her eyes widened.

"Whoa, he's got it bad for her!" she exclaimed.

Fitz watched out of the corner of his eye as Skye, May, and ward debriefed _Forseti._ What was so special about this guy anyway? Sure, he was well defined. And maybe he had that slick black hair that was a little messy, giving him the impression of being a bit dangerous which women went for. And he spoke like bloody Romeo. So what? Fitz looked over at Simmons and caught her glancing at the Asgurdian. He cleared his throat and she snapped her attention back to him. 

"Yes, um, well, I think we've gotten all the readings we need, eh Fitz? Pretty consistent with what we've seen so far." she stammered.

Fitz nodded and walked over to her.

"Yeah, lets just get the gang back in their case and be done with this mess." he muttered.

He looked at Simmons with concern.

"Hey, you're okay, right?" he asked.

Simmons looked at him, confused.

"Of course, Fitz. Why do you ask?" she asked curiously.

Fitz shrugged as he started to pack up.

"I don't know. After that brush with Lorelei, I'm just wary of smooth-talking aliens, that's all."

"Asgardian, Fitz. Alien makes him sound like E.T. or the Chitauri or something." Simmons corrected with a glance back at Forseti.

"Yeah, there's a big difference." he grumbled.

Simmons looked at Fitz, a bit peeved.

"There is a great deal of difference, Fitz. He's not a shriveled little freak or a murderous monster. He's a man. What's gotten into you?" she chided.

Fitz slammed the "dwarf" case shut and locked it.

"Nothing, I'm just a bit tired." he lied as he gathered his stuff. "Look, I'm just going to go back to the truck."

With that, he stomped off through the corn. Jemma shook her head, baffled. She made her way back to the group. As she approached, Forseti stood and came toward her.

"Is all well, Lady Jemma? Your comrade appeared troubled." he questioned.

Jemma smiled and nodded.

"Oh, Fitz is fine. Last time we met one of your people, she put him under some sort of spell so he's a little wary." she explained.

"You speak of the sorceress, Lorelei?" Forseti guessed.

Jemma nodded and he shook his head with a sigh.

"Her enchantments are fearsome indeed. I understand how he would be afraid." he said gravely.

Jemma frowned.

"You've met her?" she asked, suddenly worried.

Forseti nodded and clenched his fist, looking away from her.

"The last time she ran free, she brought devastation to Asgard. Many good men fell under her bewitchment, myself included. I …have done treacherous things in her name."

Jemma reached up and cupped Forseti's cheek, causing him to turn to look at her again. She looked him dead in the eyes, her own brimming with compassion.

"It wasn't you. I was a spell using your body." She insisted.

Forseti smiled and cupped the back of her head.

"You have a generous heart, Lady Jemma. The man who wins it is lucky, indeed." he murmured.

Skye came up to the pair and patted Forseti on the back.

"Come on, love-birds, time to get back to The Bus." she said as she passed.

Forseti watched as Skye left and looked at Jemma curiously.

"What is this, Bus?" he asked.

Jemma smiled.

"It's something like a flying fortress." she said as she turned to leave.

Forseti followed her, his eyes wide with wonder. A flying fortress? This realm was truly spectacular.

** ~*#*~**

Jemma tied off the rubber strip on Forseti's arm and looked at him, biting her lip nervously.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" she asked sheepishly, though she was already preparing the needle.

Forseti smiled and shook his head.

"I am happy to assist you with your research." he assured her.

She smiled and nodded.

"Right then, you might feel a small…pinch." she said as she slid the needle into place.

She watched as his blood ran through the tubing to the small vial.

"Extraordinary! It looks just exactly like human blood!" she exclaimed in wonder.

She switched out the vials two times and then pulled the needle out. She cleaned the spot with an antiseptic and pressed a bandage over it. Which, honestly, felt a little sill considering she saw one of these guys get stabbed in the chest and be completely healed in a matter of minutes. But, it was force of habit. She smiled and patted Forseti's arm.

"All done." she said in a chipper tone.

She started putting labels on the vials, marking them for the specific tests she wanted to run.

"I really appreciate this, Forseti. I've been absolutely dying to study Asgardian biology."

He hopped off the counter he had been sitting on and put his hand on Jemma's shoulder, looking down at her work.

"I am glad to oblige. It pleases me to see you so happy."

Jemma could feel her cheeks warm.

"Well it pleases me to be happy." she teased.

The two spent the majority of the day together. Simmons worked ecstatically on unlocking the secrets of Asgaurdian DNA while Forseti watched. He took in her every move, studying her as closely as she studied him. He was like her little lab-rat/assistant, doing anything she asked at the drop of a hat. Fitz could only watch, his arms crossed, frowning in mild disgust. He was like a bloody puppy, pattering after her like that. It was sickening. Didn't he have any pride as a man?

"Those two really clicked, huh?"

Fitz looked to see Ward standing beside him. The engineer scoffed.

"He's pathetic, right? Chasing after her like a love struck stag." Fitz spat.

Ward shrugged.

"I don't know, I kind of admire him." he admitted.

Fitz looked at Ward in shock.

"I mean, he's very open. He lets her know exactly how he feels, no beating around the bush. You gotta respect his honesty." Ward explained.

Fitz snorted in repulsion. But then, as he studied the pair again, he did notice the troubling truth. Simmons seemed very happy. She was completely at ease with this man she'd just met. She was smiling and laughing, just having a grand time. Fitz felt a pang in his heart at the sight of it. Much as he loved seeing her happy, he longed to be the source. He felt Ward's hand on his back and looked to see the field agent giving him a hard, long stare.

"Fitz, you've gotta step up your game. I'm not saying Simmons is going to run off with an Asgardian but there's no guarantee. Do you want to lose her?" he inquire.

Fitz looked nervously back at Simmons and Forseti and then back to Ward.

"What should I do?" he asked, his voice a bit panicked.

Ward smiled and patted Fitz's back.

"You gotta get back in the game." he replied.

With that, he led a reluctant Fitz away from the lab.

** ~*#*~**

"I mean its absolutely fascinating, Skye! Every little detail, the DNA, the cell structure, it's all virtually identical to that of a human's! I mean, its frustrating because I can't identify anything foreign when I know that there has to be something, but it really is remarkable just how similar our species truly are!"

Simmons had been yammering on for what seemed like hours. Skye hadn't seen her so excited in a long time. Or ever, really. What was surprising was not her enthusiasm, but her new arm-candy. Forseti had not left Simmons' side the entire day and now, as the bio-chemist rambled on, he sat next to her with his arm around her shoulders. And she didn't even seem to notice!

Fitz watched the gang from the hall. Skye, Simmons, May, and Forseti were lounging around in the common room. Fitz felt his fists clench when he saw Forseti's arm around Simmons. Well , he might as well tattoo her name on his brobdingnagian bicep! Ward put his hand on Fitz's shoulder.

"Remember, just be yourself. Tell her how you feel. Be confident." he whispered.

"Wait, should I be myself or be confident?" Fitz asked, confused.

"Well, both, Fitz." Ward replied, perplexed at the question.

Fitz sucked in a deep breath and shook his head.

"I don't think that's possible." he said, already starting to lose his cool.

"Okay, okay, then just be confident." Ward clarified.

Fitz sighed and rolled his shoulders.

"Alright, yeah. Confident. I can do that. I think" he said as he went in.

Jemma, finally finished with her Asgaurdian biology soliloquy, was now listening intently as Forseti regaled the group with tales of other worlds.

"I took the bilgesnipe by it's great antlers and wrestled it down to the ground. I yelled for Malakahr to put the calfling back and once all our men were a safe distance from the pair, I let the mother go. She made to charge again but the calfling brayed and she changed her course. "

The group shared various expression of amazement and wonder. Fitz walked in and cleared his throat, causing everyone to look at him. That's when his mind went blank and things started leaning in favor of him acting like himself. He swallowed and looked at Simmons.

"Simmons, I-uh…" he stuttered.

He cleared his throat and started again.

"With permission from Agent Coulson, I would like to take you…..on a date….thing." he said with faltering confidence.

The group was stunned. Now, everyone's eyes were on Simmons. Who was absolutely dumbstruck. After an eternity of seconds, she finally picked her jaw up off of the ground and swallowed nervously.

"Well, Fitz, I…" she started.

"Please, I am unfamiliar with the customs of your world. What is this 'date' that Fitz has asked lady Jemma on?" Forseti asked.

"Well, it's kind of a-" Skye started, her brain still a bit scrambled from the events.

"Fitz is courting her." May explained concisely.

Forseti's face contorted into a displeased expression. He stood and faced Fitz, straightening to his full colossal height.

"You think yourself worth of pursuing Lady Jemma?" he questioned, an amused smile in his eyes.

After a moment of consideration, Fitz straightened to his full, less impressive, height.

"I know I am." he said plainly, his bruised pride fueling pluck.

Forseti chuckled and reached out his hand.

"Then your intentions are acknowledged. I then issue you a formal challenge for her attentions."

Fitz looked at Forseti, puzzled, and then looked to May for a translation.

The field agent shrugged.

"He wants to fight."

Fitz felt his stomach knot. He looked at the behemoth in front of him. There was no way he could overpower this man. But Fitz was an engineering expert. He knew how to find and exploit weak spots. And he'd already counted seventeen. After that it was just a matter of staying ahead of punches, ducking, and getting in close without getting his bell rung. After a moment of calculation, he reached out and shook the Asgardians hand.

"I accept."

** ~*#*~**

"Fitz, you have to back out of this! That guy is going to eat you alive!" Ward scolded harshly.

"Well what was I supposed to say? No? And besides, you're to one who told me to be confident!" Fitz retorted, now in full on panic.

"Confident, Fitz! Not suicidal!" Ward growled.

Both men paced around in Fit's room and dug their fingers through their hair anxiously. The Bus was in midair now but May had set coordinates to somewhere in the-middle-of-nowhere Kansas. The rules had been established: the fight would be over when either fighter was down for more than ten seconds or they chose to forfeit. The winner would go on a date with Simmons. The loser would, hopefully, still have most of his bones unbroken. Ward kicked the wall in frustration.

"Dammit, Fitz!" he growled.

Fitz sat down on his bed and cradled his head in his hands,

"I know, I know. It's all wrong." he muttered.

Ward continued pacing, trying to think of anything he could to help Fitz out.

"Maybe he'd be okay with giving you a weapon like a bow staff or something." he pondered aloud.

Fitz looked at Ward helplessly.

"A bow staff? I don't even know what a bow staff is, let alone how to use it and the fight is in two hours!"

Ward rubbed the back of his head and thought hard. Finally, he shook his head in defeat.

"I'm sorry, dude, you need to call it off. Tell him you forfeit." Ward concluded.

Fitz jumped up and pointed his finger in Ward's face, suddenly dead serious.

"I will _never _forfeit Jemma, Ward. Ever." he hissed.

Grant was surprised by the sudden outburst but smiled.

"There you go! That's how you're going to beat him!"

Fitz looked at him, perplexed.

"You just gotta pretend Simmons is in trouble. Like she might die if you lose this fight. That'll get you focused, pump some extra adrenaline into your system and you might just stand a chance." Ward explained.

Fitz thought about it for a moment and nodded absently.

"Yeah. Yeah, that's brilliant! That might actually work!" he exclaimed.

Ward patted his back encouragingly.

"It just might." Ward agreed.

** ~*#*~**

Two hours seemed to drag on forever. Fitz didn't see Jemma until they all gathered in the cargo bay after touching down. And with her, as always, was her gargantuan boy toy. Fitz glanced her way only once and she was so busy talking to the alien that she didn't even see. Well, fine, he would show her. He would show everyone that Leopold Fitz stood up for himself. Or got brutally beaten to a pulp but Fitz was rather hoping that wouldn't happen. May lowered the cargo door and the team filed out into the empty field. Skye whistled in amazement.

"Wow, May. When you said the middle of nowhere, you meant it." she said as she scanned the endlessly empty horizon.

Forseti stepped out onto the field, took a deep breath and sighed.

"A glorious day for a rousing fight!" he said, he face upturned to the sun.

He turned and faced Fitz.

"Leopold Fitz of Midgard, I challenged you this day to a dual for the affections of Lady Jemma Simmons. This is your final chance to reconsider. For, once we engage, you are my enemy and I will not yield until I have bested you or have been bested myself." he declared.

Fitz rolled his eyes. These Asgardians were always peacocking. He stepped forward and puffed out his chest indignantly.

"I accepted your challenge and I'm not backing out now. I don't care if you beat the piss out of me. Jemma's worth it." he replied.

Forseti nodded in admiration.

"You are very honorable, Leopold Fitz. I truly regret any harm I may cause you this day."

"You and me both." Fitz muttered.

Forseti gave a low bow before taking a striking stance. Fitz took a deep breath and closed his eyes. _This is for Jemma. No matter what happens, you can't let her see you being a coward., _he told himself. He opened his eyes and braced himself, nodding to indicate he was ready.

Forseti rushed in with a loud growl. Fitz waited, poised on the balls of his feet, until he saw the Asgardian pull his fist back. He launched himself out of the way at the last second and even managed to connect with Forseti's cheek. But his foe was not phased at all and quickly turned and smacked Fitz away like a pesky fly. The engineer went flying a few feet before landing roughly on his back. The world spun for a moment but Fitz knew he couldn't afford to stay on the ground. He got up as quickly as he could manage and braced himself for another attack. It came quickly from his left and he didn't have quite enough time to dodge it. Forseti's foot only brushed his side but with the force of a mule. Fitz winced as he hit the ground again, certain that his ribs were at least bruised. With a mighty yell, Forseti drove his fist down toward Fitz's face. Fitz managed to roll out of the way and, with all the might he could muster, brought his foot up and kicked the back of Forseti's neck. The bigger man grunted as his unbalanced body tumbled to the ground. Now was Fitz's chance. He climbed on top of Forseti's back and boxed his ears as hard as he could, knowing full well the his adversary could easily recover from the trauma. Forseti cried out and attempted to grab Fitz off his back but the scientist held on tightly. It wasn't long though, before that was taken care of. Forseti threw himself down onto his back, crushing Fitz beneath him.

"Fitz!" Jemma cried out, rushing over to him.

Forseti rolled off of Fitz and stood. Fitz moaned and clutched his side. Ten seconds passed. He had lost.

"Bloody hell." he said through his teeth.

In a moment, Jemma was by his side.

"Fitz, are you alright?" she asked in a panic.

Fitz shook his head and bit down on his lip.

"Ribs." he moaned.

Jemma went to call Ward over but he was already there, gingerly trying to pick Fitz up.

"Gently, Ward. Don't jostle him." Simmons said, clicking into doctor mode.

Ward nodded in understanding and carefully carried Fitz back into the Bus. Forseti watched as the entire team rallied to Fit's aide and sighed, shaking his head.

"It is a hollow victory to triumph over an adversary that has already bested you." he said to himself.

Forseti had won the fight but it was clear that Fitz had won Jemma's heart long ago.

Ward brought Fitz into the lab. Jemma went ahead of him and swept everything off the table to make a place to treat Fitz. Ward set him down on the table and stepped back to give Simmons some space. She quickly slipped on some gloves, took a pair of scissors and cut his shirt off before examining his ribcage. The area was already bruising and swelling.

"I need 2 mgs of morphine an alcohol swab, medical wrap and medical tape from the med kit on the wall, in that order." she instructed Ward.

He nodded and quickly retrieved the items. Jemma cleaned a spot on Fitz's skin with the swab.

"Look away, Fitzy."

Fitz didn't need to be told twice. He hated needles. He turned his head away as Jemma injected him with the powerful painkiller. With that done, she felt much more relaxed.

"Well, that ought to make the rest of this much easier." she said as she tossed the used syringe in the biohazard wastebasket.

She started unraveling the medical wrapping.

"Ward, I need you to help him sit up. I'm going to wrap him up so he has an easier time breathing until this heals."

A few more minutes and Fitz was spick and span. The morphine hit him harder than expected so Simmons had Ward bring Fitz back to his room and lay him down. Simmons sighed and put her elbows on the table, resting her head in her hands. Thank goodness it had only been a few ribs. That wasn't nearly as bad as she had expected. Then again, she always knew that Fitz was resilient.

"Jemma?"

She turned around to see Forseti smiling at her.

"You are a very skilled doctor. Everyone on this team is in very good hands." he complimented.

Simmons gave a weak smiled but said nothing. Forseti took a deep breath and sighed.

"You are displeased with my actions?" he asked earnestly.

Jemma shook her head.

"No. Well, not you specifically. If you must know, I'm displeased with both of you. And with myself for letting you do such an idiotic thing." she explained.

Forseti nodded in understanding. He looked at Jemma imploringly.

"It is not hidden from my eyes that he means more to you than I." he said gently.

A tear slid down Jemma's cheek and she nodded.

"I can't imagine my life without him." she murmured, her voice breaking slightly.

She looked up at Forseti apologetically.

"You are a wonderful man, Forseti. But, truthfully, you could never replace Fitz in my heart." she explained.

Forseti sighed and nodded.

"I feared this to be true. In that case, I shall depart from you." he decided.

He stepped forward and cupped Jemma's chin gently, planting a soft kiss on her cheek.

"I shall not soon forget you, Jemma Simmons." he whispered in her ear as he pulled away.

With a final smile, the Asgardian turned and walked out the cargo door, disappearing into the sunlight.

** ~*#*~**

Fitz slowly woke from his morphine induced nap. He blinked his eyes as the world came into focus. Jemma smiled down at him tenderly.

"How're you feeling, Fitz?" she asked.

"Much better now that I don't have a quarter-ton Asgardian sitting on my chest." he joked with a smile.

Simmons snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Where is he, by the way?" Fitz asked.

Jemma shrugged.

"Probably worlds away by now." she replied.

Fitz looked at her with curiosity.

"He's gone? He left?"

The bio-chemist nodded.

"He admitted defeat." she stated.

She leaned down and kissed Fitz's lips gently, breaking it only to gaze into his eyes.

"You've already won my heart." she whispered before pressing their lips together again.

**Tank you all for reading! Please review, follow, fav, whatevs. I plan on making many more Agents one-shots (I'm open to most any shippings) so please prompt if you have something you want to see! Thank you again!**


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